Second Changes
by Mage of Hope
Summary: 2003 Version! A little kid that's part of the Foot Clan rescues a baby boy and leaves the Foot Clan, now considered a fugitive. The turtles find the near-death child and the baby boy and take them in as a new family. How will the four overprotective brothers deal with a stubborn, intelligent, skilled child that gets on their nerves? And, Karai has a brother? OC X OC! Fluffy bits!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, everyone! Just to let you know, this is a brand new, TMNT fanfic I came up with. I notice how there are stories with the four brothers having a little sister, but I highly doubt they finished it and just let them be. But, this time, this family fanfic is different. How? You'll see.**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own TMNT series, only the OCs. **

* * *

"Run some tests over there!"

"Try this container."

"More bags of blood right here!"

Foot ninja scientists were busy as usual in every other day of the week, running tests and providing medical help to the injured Foot ninjas that came out of real battle or from training. This section of Foot ninjas was the Intelligence Squad and the Medical Squad, where, not only did they provide medical assistance, but the Intelligence Squad was the most smartest in all the sections.

Out of the ordinary, a little girl in a lab coat suited for her was examining some liquid and writing down notes on her notepad. This little girl had short black hair tied in low pigtails and calm, amber-colored eyes. One of the scientists rushed out of another room and towards her, saying, "MN-058, TY-367 wishes to speak with you privately."

Nodding, the girl named MN-058 headed towards one of the patient's rooms, where TY-367 was. TY-367 happened to be a young woman with black hair and blue eyes, and she was laying on a hospital bed, craddling a small baby in her arms as it was fast asleep.

MN-058 and TY-367 are both Foot Ninjas, with MN-058 being 8 years old, and TY-367 being 25 years old, being older than the smaller girl. To MN-058, TY-367 was the first and only friend she had, since she was the first and last person to ever be kind to her. In fact, TY-367 tried to secretly give MN-058 a nickname, since Foot Ninjas had to be addressed by their codenames, but she refused, so TY-367 requested MN-058 to call her by 'Ivy.'

When the tired and panting Ivy saw her friend, MN-058, she sighed a breath of relief. "Oh...you're here..."

"Ivy," said MN-058, walking towards her. "Is that your new son?"

"Yes...his codename is...OZ-698...but I don't want his name to be like that."

"If that's the case, what do you want to know him? You know full well that the Foot Clan doesn't accept names, except for higher rank members."

"...Ryo...I want to name him Ryo...I have one favor to ask, please...after this, I'll finally be able to sleep peacefully..."

MN-058 frowned a bit, unsure what she meant until the words filled into her head, making her realize what Ivy meant. "No. OZ-698...Ryo, must be cared for by his own mother. You are his mother, so you have your responsibility. Don't die because you're in pain."

"It's not like that..." sighed Ivy. "Sometimes, when times are stuff, you have to let things go, even if it hurts. You're too young to understand. Besides, do you really think the Foot Clan would allow me to take care of my own son? In a few more minutes, they'll come and snatch him away to train him. If the same that's happened to both of us, isn't that correct?"

MN-058 sighed. "...Yes. Ages 0-1 are required to learn how to walk and talk."

Ivy nodded. "Yes...but I don't want Ryo to grow up in this...environment. I want him to live and be happy with others. So...I ask for one last favor, MN-058."

"What do you mean, 'last?'"

"I mean, this is will be the second and last time I ask of you for a favor. I appreciated the first favor, and it was nice for the only person I trust to call me by a different name. This time, I wonder if you can do it."

Ivy held out her trembling, soft hand, offering something. MN-058 gently touched it, and both clasped their hands together. "Ivy, I'm a Foot Ninja. There's nothing I can't do. I'm an 8-year old adult, I can handle anything. I'm also willing to fufill this last request."

Ivy smiled. "Good...then, my last request is...take my son out of this place. Put him in a safer place where kinder people like me can adopt him and take care of him. He doesn't deserve this...this treatment. Nobody does."

For the first time in perhaps a long time, MN-058 was taken aback. That would mean treason-no, betrayl to the entire Foot Clan if she did tried to fufill this task! Nobody, much less carrying a baby, has ever escaped the Foot Clan! Even if they had, they would eventually be tracked down and eliminated with all sorts of evidence of an assassination being erased. First, the Foot Clan, and rarely Shredder, would torture the poor escapees first, trying to get information from them, before killing them in a painful way. That's how terrible the Foot Clan are.

"...If you can't do it, I understand," sighed Ivy, glancing down at her baby boy with sympathy. "I just hope he has a bright future, though-"

"Alright."

"What?"

"I'll do it. Only because it's you, though."

Ivy let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you. You are in my debt forever if you do this-"

"Make no mistake, though. I can't do this right away. It'll take time. Days. Possibly weeks before I figure out some...some plan."

_Beeep...beeep...beeeep... _

Ivy nodded in agreement as the heart rate monitor started to slow down, beeping very slowly. MN-058 noticed and questioned, "What's going on? Why is your heart slowing down? Wait...don't tell me-"

"I'm...I think I'll...sleep for a bit..."

"No! Just hang on!" ordered MN-058, pushing some medicine off a cart and searching for something to make the heart stop growing lesser and lesser. "I'll-"

Ivy only grabbed MN-058's arm, shaking her head. "Do you think...that if I close my eyes one more time, then open them again, I might be able to find...peace?"

"Ivy, I don't-" But after seeing the tired, exhausted look on Ivy's face, MN-058 sighed and only gently squeezed her only friend's arm. "...Yes. I'm sure of it."

"Then...I can finally sleep for a bit longer..." With that said, Ivy let out a small gasp before closing her eyes, her chest stopped breathing in and out, and her arm went limp.

_Beep...beep...beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeepppppp..._

About a couple seconds later, some doctors bursted in after hearing the heart rate monitor, only to see MN-058 with a baby boy cradled in her arms. "What happened? What's going on?"

"TY-367 has currently been deceased due to childbirth, giving birth to this baby boy. Put him in the 'Male Babies' room, where the other babies are," ordered MN-058 with a stone-cold expression, placing the baby boy in one of the doctor's arms before watching them leave.

* * *

_A few days later... _

"Where'd the intruder go?!"

"She kidnapped one of the babies!"

"This way! I think she went this way!"

"Don't let her escape!"

The entire Foot Ninja HQ was completely in chaos, trying to find one intruder who had shut off all security cameras and caused a blackout before triggering an alarm and kidnapping one of the previously born baby boys. A few minutes later, they managed to get the security and lights back togehter before trying to track down the female intruder, which turned out to be none other than MN-058.

MN-058 was running inside the HQ, getting close to the exit as she was carrying Ryo, the baby boy, in her arms while covering him with her lab coat. She was still wearing her Foot Ninja uniform, only she had a metal filter gas mask that only exposed her upper face and eyes. She had a belt wrapped around her waist, full of tools and equipment as she held onto her katana with one hand, slashing anyone in her way. She had gotten badly injured and was bleeding as she was escaping, due to fighting lots of Foot Ninjas.

The young Foot Ninja managed to take a break by hiding behind a wall, watching as other Foot Ninjas ran towards a different direction. As she was panting, she glanced down at Ryo, who was sound asleep despite all the noise that was going on. As she begun to move and regain her breath, she winched in pain and looked down at her side, which had been pierced by a kunai. She quickly let it out and bit down on her lip, trying not to cry out.

Just then, some Foot Ninjas saw her and one of them shouted, "There she is!" Ignoring the pain in her side, MN-058 made a run for it, running away from the Foot Ninjas that soon began to increase in numbers. When she stopped in the midpoint of two paths, she started looking around until she saw two other Foot Ninjas running towards her while wielding weapons. MN-058 moved out of the way only to get a small cut on her forehead and a slash on her shoulder. Cringing in pain, MN-058 rushed towards the Foot Ninjas and slashed one of them before kicking another out of the way and quickly stabbing his heart before pulling her katana out and moving on.

When she saw more Foot Ninjas approaching towards her direction, she knew that if she fought them now, she would be quickly surrounded and have no way of escape. So, as she ran, she pressed one palm against the ground and pushed off the floor, leaping into the air and somersaulting before landing a few meters away from her pursurers before starting to run again.

Suddenly, she was grabbed by the collar of her uniform and thrown to a wall in mere seconds, forcing her to cough out blood. When she regained her consciousness, she saw Hun in the middle of the room, cracking his large knuckles as he charged for it. Using all of her strength, she forced her to stand and move out of the way before Hun's fist collided with the wall. She threw a smoke bomb at the ground, causing smoke to appear all around the area as she quickly left.

Soon, MN-058 encountered some archers at a dead end, who were well armed with bows and arrows. Turning around, she ran as fast as she could, hoping to reach something like a wall to block out the arrows. As she ran, the archers fired their arrows, forcing MN-058 to move around as she ran.

_THUD! THUD! _Two arrows managed to implant into her back, making her cry out in pain before continuing to run despite her tired legs. Luckily, she managed to escape the hailfire of arrows as she entered an office room which was empty. As she recovered her strength, she bandaged herself so that no more blood could pour out of her body so they can lead blood trails, but it was only temporarily. She couldn't do anything with the sharp arrows in her back, so she left them there.

Looking around, she spotted a small air vent that would fit her, so she got out her tools and unscrewed the screws before opening the vent. As soon as she did, she and the sleeping Ryo, managed to climb into the vent before MN-058 closed the air vent and crawled as fast as she could. Eventually, she arrived outside and found herself in an alleyway before she kept on walking, getting farther and farther away from the secret Foot Ninja HQ.

She didn't know how much time has passed, but she was started to feel oozy and tired, possibly due to blood loss from her wounds. She didn't waste time, endured the pain, and ended up in another alleyway that was close to some shops and busy people. If she went out there, people would freak out and call the police and ambulence, then the Foot Clan would come, kill her, and take away Ryo. So, the only option was to go down the sewers, get to a hospital, drop Ryo at the hospital, and the rest would be up to fate.

* * *

_Later, with the turtles... _

"Mikey, we're almost there, so quit ya complain'!"

"But I wanna see Frankenstein! It's on in another hour!"

"Mikey, you've seen that three full times now. Why do you want to see it again?"

"Just for the heck of it!"

"Guys, let's-" Leo stopped when he and his brothers came across something that shocked them all. A small girl, no more than 8, was walking and stumbling through the sewers, her eyes half-lidded. A sleeping baby was cradled in one arm as she held a bloody katana in the other. Blood poured from different areas of her frame. But what really made the turtles recoil slightly, was the two arrows that pierced her back.

"Look what's on her uniform!" Leo said, addressing to the torn symbol on her uniform.

"The Foot Clan!" cried out his three brothers.

"What should we do? Yeah, she's part of the Foot Clan, but she's still a kid," said Mikey. His three older brothers turned to him, looking shocked. "What?"

"You said somethin' smart, that's what," said Raph.

"Mikey's right," agreed Leo.

"But, what if it's a trap?" asked Raph, still suspicious of the young girl.

"Even I know that-" Donnie pointed to the two arrows. "-Can't be a trap." The girl stumbled and slightly coughed out a small amound of blood as more blood trailed down her forehead. "Leo, we need to help her, even if she's a part of the Foot Clan! She's even carrying a baby!"

Everyone peered at her for a second, bothered by the fact that this young child had so many injures that a child shouldn't have. The small girl seemed to have lost her balance a bit, but soon regained it. Blood started to become more noticeable as it slid from the wounds. The girl then dropped to her knees, panting heavily and dropping her katana.

"Shell," murmured Leo as they rushed to her aid. "Hey! Are you okay?! Hey!"

"Goddamnit..." they heard the girl muttered as she struggled to stand up. "I'm not...gonna-" As she started to fall down, Leo caught her in time as Mikey caught the sleeping baby boy. Surprisingly, the girl weighed like a small pillow.

"The lair's nearby, luckily," said Donnie quickly. "Let's hurry back and make a run for it! She's alive, but barely. The baby's okay too, but I need to check her injuries and stich them up! Hurry!"

The four turtles got to their feet and ran for it, with Leo carrying the small child in his arms carefully as Mikey easily carried the sleeping baby towards the lair.

* * *

**That's the end of the first chapter! MoheiNeko helped me out on this one, so thanks! Any ideas, just put them in the reviews!**


	2. A new Start

**Hey! Love the reviews, guys! As a reward, here's a brand new chapter! Special thanks towards MoheiNeko for helping me!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own TMNT series, only the OCs! **

* * *

"...Heart rate stabled, and not much else to do," sighed Donnie. It's been three days since he and his brothers discovered the small little girl and the baby boy , and they've been taking care of them in the lair ever since, with the help of April and Casey, of course. The baby boy didn't have any injuries, so he was fine, but the girl's were a lot worst, and it took a lot of medicine to heal away the cuts and bruises she had, including the spots where the arrows were.

April had replaced the girl's clothes with comfortable ones and was currently washing and sewing the uniform she had, only she left out the Foot Clan symbol since it disturbed her. The baby boy was currently sleeping in a small bed made by Mikey, and the girl was laying on a small hospital bed in Donnie's lab, still unconscious.

"Jeez! How long is she gonna sleep?" complained Raph, who was helping Leo care for the baby boy.

"Raph, she got all those injuries. You can't expect her to fully wake up after that."

Hearing some loud voices, MN-058 groaned and tried to open her eyes, but since the light was so bright, she slowly adjusted her eyes to her surroundings, until she fully opened her eyes and sat up. Her head was throbbing like crazy, and when she tried to move, her body felt like it had been attacked by hard, heavy bricks. She glanced around and saw that she was in some sort of lab, and...

"Hey! She's awake!" said Mikey cheerfully, who was about to check up on the girl. MN-058's eyes widen, realizing who this was. It was one of the turtles that was to be enemies with Shredder, but unfortunely, nobody knew his name, or any of his other brothers.

Without thinking, MN-058 ignored the pain in her body and lunged for Mikey, pinning him to the ground and making a loud crashing noise. "Mikey!" cried out Donnie, picking up an injection gun from a table before rushing over.

"Hey! Hey get off my bro!" yelled Raph as he and Leo ran over. Mikey was still freaked out over the surprise attack, and MN-058 was still winching in pain even after she pinned Mikey down, but she didn't do anything else.

With a small noise and a quick pain, MN-058 felt something being injected into her arm, and her sight started to get blurry before she couldn't think through. It was like her mind was being stuffed with cotton. Within seconds, she fell unconscious, laying on top of Mikey's chest, her faint breathing being heard by Mikey.

"U-uh...little dudette?" Mikey sat up with MN-058 laying against his chest, one arm wrapped around her.

"Whew! Good thing I prepared this," said Donnie, holding an injection gun. "Don't worry, Mikey. I just injected her with some anesthetic. She'll be asleep for a few more hours, or, the entire day."

"We have to do something! She's way too dangerous!" growled Raph.

"But she looks so adorable when she's asleep!" squealed Mikey, gently stroking her back.

"How about this, then? We strap her to the bed, so when she wakes up, she can't harm anyone," suggested Leo. "And no, Raph. We're not killing her. Mikey, carry her here. Don't worry, we'll make sure the straps aren't too tight."

"Okay..." Mikey picked up MN-058 and laid her on the bed before Donnie strapped her down, careful not to make the straps too tight.

"WAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! WAAAHHH!"

"Casey Jones!"

"What, Ape? How was I supposed to know putting a baby upside was bad for ya? OW!"

"That's what you get, jerk! Now, now, mommy's all here..."

The turtles rolled their eyes, saying together, "Here we go again..."

* * *

_A day later... _

MN-058 let out a groan before blinking her eyes several times for them to open. When she tried to move, she found herself strapped to the table, and only pain filled her body due to her wounds. She struggled to move, only to find herself completely secured tight and attracting a lot of noise. In fact, she made the bed move a little, but it was enough to make a small jar fall from a table and crash to the ground.

As a bonus, that got Donnie and Leo's attention so they could see what was going on. "Hey, wait! Stop! You'll only hurt yourself more!" said Leo, rushing towards MN-058.

"Awww! She made a mess!" complained Donnie, cleaning up the glass shards on the floor.

MN-058 managed to stop struggling and stayed calm while Mikey and Raph ran in. "What's going on?! Did she hurt anyone?!" demanded Raph, unsheathing his sais.

"She didn't hurt anyone. Calm down, Raph," assured Leo. "Since she's awake now, maybe she can answer some questions."

"About time!" Raph marched over to the strapped girl and demanded, "Alright, who are you?! And don't lie!"

"Raph!" said Mikey, walking over to the girl. "Hi there! Don't worry, we won't hurt you. We just want some questions answered. So don't worry, we won't let big bad Raph here hurt you or anything!"

"I'm not scared of Ketchup Face over here," spoke MN-058 calmly.

"Hahahaha! Ketchup Face! Why didn't I think of that?!"

"Grrrrr!" Raph's left eye twitched as he clutched his sais tightly. "Are you asking for it, missy?!"

"I didn't ask any question. In fact, this is the first I've said anything."

"You know what I meant!"

"Raph, calm down!" ordered Leo, stepping forward. "Okay, who are you?"

"...Tell me yours and I'll tell you mine."

"I'm gonna guess she's one of those stubborn types!" piped up Mikey.

"And a young one at that," added Donnie, crossing his arms.

"Alright," agreed Leo. "I'm Leonardo, this is Michelangelo, the other is Donatello, and the one you referred before is Raphael."

"When you mean, 'referred,' you mean, 'Ketchup Face,' right?"

"You are so asking for it," growled Raph.

"I'm just correcting things."

"You mean you're asking for trouble. Now tell us your name!"

"A deal's a deal. Well, we Foot Ninjas don't really have names. We're given codenames. Mine's MN-058."

"Are you serious?" asked Raph, not believing her.

"What would I gain from lying?" questioned MN-058. "I'm strapped in a bed with four mutant turtles, and one of them that refers as 'Ketchup Face' is pointing sais at me. You really think I'm in a position to lie?"

"She has a point there," said Leo. "Well, do you have a nickname?"

"Nope."

"Ooh! Ooh! How about we give you a nickname?!" suggested Mikey, excited. "How about...Alexandra? Or, Ashley? Or-or-Mikeylia!"

"If I ever have a kid, I'm never naming him or her 'Mikeylia,'" said Raph.

"How about...Mei?" suggested Donnie.

"Mei? You mean, 'Beautiful?' Well, it doesn't matter to me. You're probably going to kill me once you're done interrogating me anyways."

"That's not true! We would never kill such an adorable, cute little girl like you!" gasped Mikey at the horror of the thought. Everyone else turned to Raph, who sighed and put away his sais.

"You know, when you say that, it sounds like you're a pedophile," said 'Mei.' "And why wouldn't you kill me? Once I've talk, you'll have no use for me. Wait, where's the baby?"

"What baby?" asked Donnie, confused. "Oh! You mean the baby boy? He's over there, sleeping."

Mei let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, good."

"What is his name anyways?"

"His...his mother named him Ryo."

"At least we know his name," said Leo. "But why were you injured? We found you in the sewers, near death and carrying Ryo. What happened?"

"Well, I guess you can say...I betrayed the Foot Clan and was the first person to escape."

"Uh...what?" wondered Donnie, who was as shocked as his brothers. "That's a bit vague...HOW did you betray them?"

"I deactivated the security systems, created a blackout, and used that distraction to snatch Ryo from his crib and escape. Of course, this insane plan had serious consequences, and as of now, I am officially a target on Shredder's list."

"Why did you take Ryo away?"

"It was a last request from my one and only friend, who died a few days ago. Oh, and the day she died, Ryo was born."

"Oh...I'm so sorry."

"Are you serious?" questioned Raph angrily. "You guys aren't really buying this, are ya?! It's probably just made-up! This is probably a trap or somethin'! She's probably recording our message and trying to get information from us as we speak!"

"Raph, we already confiscated all her weapons and equipment away," argued Leo. "And she's not even holding a recorder!"

"She's part of the Foot Clan!"

"She _used_ to be part of the Foot Clan! I think we can trust her!"

"Actually, you really can't trust me," pointed out Mei. "And I can't trust you four either."

"Hey, you stay out of this!" warned Raph, pointing a finger at her.

"I'm already involved in this situation. How can I 'stay out of this?'"

"You know what I mean, you little-!"

"Enough!" called out Splinter, entering the scene. "What is going on?"

"Master Splinter! We're interrogating Mei, but some things got out of hand," explained Donnie.

"Mei?"

"He means me," called out Mei. "But my actual codename is MN-058. Everyone else just wanted to name me."

"I see. Then, perhaps I should introduce myself. I am called Splinter. How are you?"

"Fine."

Raph then realized something. "Hey, wait a minute! If you're part of the Foot Clan, you have to know all about the secrets the Foot Clan holds, including Shredder! Spill it!"

"Raph!" scolded Leo.

"Nah, it's fine. Think of it as a bit of payback towards the Foot Clan," replied Mei, shrugging. "So, what do you want to know?"

"What is Shredder planning? Is he preparing huge weaponary? New technology?" questioned Raph.

"While it is true that me and the rest of the Intelligence Squad have been preparing tests on new weaponary, nothing big is going all. All Shredder wants is to get rid of all of you. What did you guys do to make Shredder hate you?"

"You have no idea," said Mikey.

"Well, if that's the end of questioning, we can't just leave her here," said Donnie, addressing to the straps.

"Yeah we can," said Raph, perfectly fine with it.

"Wow, you just love me so much, do you, Raphael?"

"Shut it, midget!"

"So, what do we do? We can't let her roam free. If she was lying, she might escape the lair, and tell Shredder all about us," said Leo.

"Exactly!"

"So, here's my suggestion. We'll free her straps, but we'll tie her up. One hour at a time, we'll take turns and keep a close eye on her. Sound good?"

"Okay," agreed Donnie.

"What? No! You're letting her off the hook? She's still an enemy! She has Foot Ninja blood inside her!" argued Raph.

"Raph, we can't keep her strapped down the rest of her life!" argued Donnie. "We'll just keep an eye on her, one at a time!"

Before Raph could say anything, Leo placed a hand on his shoulder. "Alright, all votes on my idea?" Everyone but Raph raised their hands. "Good, we're all in favor. Anyone besides Raph want to go first?"

"Ooh! Oooh! Me! Me!" cried out Mikey, raising his hand and waving it around in the air."

"I suppose I'll be next," supported Donnie.

"Alright. Mikey goes first, then Donnie, then me, and then...Raph. Alright, any questions?"

"Yes, I have a QUESTION!" Raph practically yelled, his impatience running out. "Well, why didn't _I_ get a chance to speak?! And why am I last?!"

"Because, we all know you're going to do something bad to Mei once you get the chance, and we're trying to lower the chances of that happening," answered Donnie.

"And we're not going to get rid of her, Raph," added Leo.

"...Fine!"

After Donnie set Mei loose of her straps, he tied her hands in front of her tightly with some rope before escorting her towards Mikey, who took her to the kitchen.

"So, what do you want to do first? Are you hungry?" asked Mikey, kneeling in front of her. Mei shook her head, but the grumbling in her stomach spoke otherwise. Mikey chuckled before saying, "Don't worry! Master Chef Mikey will cook you a meal!"

As Mei sat down and waited for Mikey to finish cooking, she honestly didn't care what the taste of the food was. Back in the Foot Clan, Foot Clan members had to eat what was on their meals, which was usually rotten or unhealthy. But as long as it was edible, it was still food.

"Bon appetite!" spoke Mikey in a French accent, handing her a plate of homemade chili, which his brothers disliked a lot. Despite the fact that her hands were tied in front of her, Mei took a fork and carefully place some of the chili in her mouth. "Well? How is it?"

"...It's not the best, but it's way better than the food I ate in the Foot Clan."

Mikey grinned. "Yes! Finally, someone who likes my food! Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Mikey raced up to Mei and hugged her tightly as she was eating some more chili, not bothered by Mikey's hug.

Later, Mei and Mikey were sitting in a couch, with Mikey playing video games. Mei swung her legs back and forth, her eyes traveling to the binds that held her hands together. _'I just hope Ryo's alright,' _thought Mei.

"Wanna play?" Mikey asked Mei, before taking a sip of his soda, thinking she might be lonely and bored.

"...What is it?"

Mikey spitted out his drink dramatically. "WHAT?! You've never heard of a video game?!"

"No. Besides, I am a little tied up."

Mikey's face contorted into a thoughtful expression, then he reached over and started untying the bonds. Raph, who was nearby and lifting weights, saw what Mikey was doing and walked over. "Idiot!" He whacked Mikey over the head.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"There was a reason why we tied her up in the first place, moron!"

Mei rolled her eyes. "No need to blow a gasket."

Raph turned sharply towards her. "Are you trying to start something, ya twerp?!"

"Nothing to say. I've got a gesture or two for you, but unfortunely, my hands are tied."

"Hey, calm down, both of you," said Mikey, trying to break up any fight.

"Also, what did you feed her, Mikey?" asked Raph. "Did you try and cook again?"

"Yup! My special Chili Special!"

"Ugh, that? That's even worst than your Meatloaf Surprise!"

"Hey! At least one person appreciates my cooking! Isn't that right, Mei?" Mikey placed an arm around Mei, clearly showing he trusts her.

"Are you serious, Mikey? You trust her because she likes your cooking? You're too naive!"

"Then how about you try his cooking instead of constantly complaining all the time, because that's what you're doing."

"What," growled Raph.

"Yeah. That's a good idea. Also, if you're back after eating Michelangelo's food and you're not rolling around the floor in agonizing pain, then we can both assume that his food is safe to eat."

"Grrr...! Oh gimme a break, you little punk!"

"Hey! Don't call me little!" snapped Mei, suddenly offended. "I'm an 8-year old adult, you dried up asshole!"

"Wha-okay, one, don't call me asshole, asshole!" argued Raph, arguing with her. "And two, when you're 8, you're still a kid! By the time you reach 18, you're an adult, so you'll have to watch 10 more years, midget!"

"Don't call me that either, Ketchup Face!"

Meanwhile, Donnie was working on an invention when he heard both Raph and Mei arguing with each other and trading insults. Mikey was doing his best to stop them, but he was obviously failing. He looked at the clock and realized one hour has passed. _'You can never get any peace and quiet around here,' _he thought, placing a hammer down. He walked over to the two, grabbed Mei and dragged her towards his lab table.

When he bent down in front of her, he started retying her ropes more tightly. "I'm sorry about this."

"It's alright. Not your fault." Donnie nodded before picking up a screwdriver and continuing his work. "I think the drill would be better," informed Mei, pointing to it the best she could. "That way the screws would be more tigher and less likely to fall loose."

Donnie glanced at the drill, now thinking the same thing before turning to Mei and smiling. "Thanks."

Mei nodded. "No problem." As the hour passed, Mei kept giving advice and tips to Donnie, which was really helpful and so useful, he was nearly complete with his invention when he realized that his one hour was finished.

Donnie led Mei to Leo and gently pushed her forward. "Here, Leo, your turn. I have some things I have to take care of."

"Alright, go on, Don." Donnie nodded and left, leaving Leo with Mei. The blue-banded turtle turned to Mei and said, "I'm going to train, so-"

"I'll watch," replied Mei, sitting down on the ground properly.

Leo nodded and took a few paces away from her before continuing his training and unsheathing his katanas. He jumped up and suwng them downwards as he did a hook kick, then landed and used his katanas to support him while he did a back flip.

Mei didn't show it, but she was impressed. _'Not bad, He's really good. Looks like the rumors about him and his brothers are true. Though, he has some flaws,' _she thought.

Leo did a low spinning sweep kick before swinging his swords upwards. "You should swung your katanas to the side. That could give you an advantage. Tighten your supporting leg when you do the sweep and put more force in that previous hook kick," Mei advised.

Leo stopped what he was doing and stared at Mei. Mei thought she might have offended him and apologized, "I'm sorry."

"N-no, it's fine. Thanks. Just...how do you know these things, anyways?"

"Simple. Every Foot Ninja is required to learn how to fight. It's natural I know these things, especially since I'm a katana-user as well."

Leo seemed surprised. "You know how to use the katana, too?"

"Yeah, but only the two-handed version. Unlike you, I don't wield dual katanas. You best remember that advice I gave you. It might be useful in tougher battles in the future, like against the Shredder."

"Mei, can I ask you a question?"

"What?"

"When you left with Ryo, did you not stop to think about your family in the Foot Clan? I mean, aren't your parents worried about you?" asked Leo gently.

"Don't have any parents. Well, I guess you could say I was a bastard."

"Uh...why would you think that?"

"Because if female Foot Ninjas are pregnant, they can't get abortions, even if they want to, because their babies need to be trained as full-fledged Foot Clan members. Most of them cursed being pregnant and even called their own children monsters. I'd bet you money they want to kill their kids right after they were born."

"But that's...cruel! I mean, what kind of mother would want to kill her own child?!" exclaimed Leo, shocked.

"Apparently, the women in the Foot Clan, except for...one person. But that's a story for another time."

"Well, do you know your parents?"

"Nope. I never saw their faces, and I don't know their names. I don't even know if they're alive. But frankly, I don't give a damn."

"O-oh..." Leo thought, _'What the shell did the Foot do to her? She's just a little kid who's also a fighter and way too intelligent for her age. That's not normal.' _Mei realized the pitiful and sad expression on Leo's face.

"Don't pity me. I don't want pity," spoke Mei in a monotone voice. Leo sighed before going back to his training, unsure what to do as the hour passed. Once Leo handed Mei to Raph, he gave his brother a stern look of warning before walking away.

Raph took Mei away from his brothers by roughly taking her hands and took her to a more private area. "Now listen up, punk," he snarled. "I don't like you, and I'm sure as hell know you don't like me. You're damn lucky that my brothers and master are stopping me from pummeling you to death, but if you possess a threat, I WILL take you down."

'Fine, but if you ever harm Ryo in any way possible, I will take YOU down, regardless of the consequences-"

"WAAAAAAAHHHHH!" A baby's cry echoed throughout the lair, making both of them turn to see Ryo in his small crib, crying. Both Mei and Raph rushed over to see what was wrong.

"Great, just when it's my turn to take care of the kid, the baby starts crying, especially on the day when I'm supposed to be taking care of HIM!"

"Stop complaining and help me already," ordered Mei, holding up the crying baby by the waist.

"Hey, put him down!' Before Raph could do anything, he was surprised when Mei started cradling Ryo back and forth in her arms, trying to calm him down. It seemed to work a little, but he was still crying, so Raph remembered that babies normally cry when they're hungry. He grabbed a bottle of milk left by April and gently nudged it against Ryo's mouth. As soon as he felt it against his lips, Ryo began slurping and sucking milk from the bottle, making both Mei and Raph sigh in relief.

However, Ryo threw down the bottle and started crying loudly. "Jeez! What does he want now?!" exclaimed Raph, until he started smelling something stinky. "Ugh! Seriously?!"

"Well, you are responsible, so do it," said Mei. When she saw that Raph was merely holding his nose and avoiding to do anything baby related, Mei, who read a lot of baby and pregnancy books, started to unwrap Ryo's dirty diaper before throwing it away. Then, she leaped up and snatched Raph's red mask from him before using it as a diaper.

"Hey! That's my mask! You can't just do that!"

"You can always get another one."

"Why you-!"

'WAAAAHHH!"

"Oh, come on!" For the past hour, both Mei and Raph worked together to try and calm down Ryo, all while arguing amongst themselves. Whenever Raph did something wrong, Mei would simply slap across his head, and whenever Mei was starting to be a bother, or on purpose, Raph punched her head. Despite their conflicts, they made a good team and managed to calm down and make Ryo sleep. Once it was Mikey's turn again, Raph knew that Mei was still an enemy, but couldn't help but let go of some doubt against her.

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**Whew! I'm done! Tune in next time!**


	3. Trustworthy

**Here we go, the newest chapter! So yeah, this chapter improves the relationship with Mei and the turtles, at least a little bit, but it's still a good chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own TMNT series, only the OCs! **

* * *

Surprisingly, ever since the turtles have been taking care of Mei and Ryo, things were okay the next few weeks. Mei was obedient to every single command either the turtles or Splinter gave to her, though, she still kept arguing with Raph almost every day, and Ryo was still a baby, so he would have baby problems. Other than that, everything was fine at the lair.

Mikey seemed to have a lot of fun everyday with Mei, despite her quiet, cold demeanor. Still, Mei was nice enough not to insult Mikey or speak harshly at him, though was often annoyed by the things he did. He tried to teach her how to play video games, though often had to teach her how to play them, then read comic books to her, but was more successful with teaching her about the skateboard. Sure, she got a few bruises and cuts while teaching her, but she eventually got the hang of it, even though her hands were literally tied.

Donnie enjoyed her assistance every time she spent time with him. Not only did her assistance in her experiments help, but it made his work a little more faster and her advice did help out. In addition, he did enjoy someone to talk about science, physics, all that sort of stuff. He didn't completely trust her, but he was friendly to her.

Leo didn't exactly trust Mei either, but was polite and nice to her, at least. While Mei was still in her restraints, he mostly trained by himself or just talked with her. When he trained, Mei would give advice or tell him any flaws in his techniques, improving his fighting skill greatly. When he talked to her, he sometimes asked questions of what it was like in the Foot Clan, and she would answer them. But, as he learned more and more of how harsh life in the clan was, he was secretly pitting Mei, but his hatred for Shredder grew. Mei never asked personal questions to Leo, or anything that might threaten his family, so she let him do most of the talking.

Raph obviously never trusted Mei from the very beginning, but he did agree that her state when he first saw her, was no trap. He didn't even hesitate to reveal his real, hateful feelings towards her, and almost every day, they ended up arguing with each other. So far, Raph was the only person who managed to make her lose her temper, and the arguments were mostly about Raph interrogating Mei about the Foot Clan. Every single time, everyone had to stop them from arguing, but most of their time together was more and more distrust, even when Mei did everything to keep Raph calm.

Mei never had a problem with Splinter, and they usually meditate or drink tea together. When Mei first met April, April commented how cute she was and gave her clothes she used to wear as a child, which fitted Mei perfectly. They helped each other take care of Ryo, and out of everyone, Mei trusted April the most.

Finally, a few days later, everyone but Raph, agreed to release Mei's restrains and allow her to train with Splinter. Raph argued about this because he still thinks Mei is a spy and could easily run off after studying the moves and fighting styles they all had. But Donnie pointed out that there was security cameras everywhere, as well as alarms, so if Mei actually left, the alarm would trigger. Even if the alarm wouldn't trigger, the security cameras would show everything.

Today, everyone had to show off their skills and practice against a LOT of training dummies in a time limit, which would be about one minute. They were to defeat as many training dummies as possible before time ran out. Leo went first, then Raph, and Leo had taken out more than Raph, making him the winner out of the two.

Next, was Donnie, Mikey, and Mei. Since Donnie's weapon wasn't really that dangerous, he had taken out less than any of his brothers combined. Mikey was obviously fooling around, yet he was fast as he playfully taken out the dummies. However, Mei's speed was like that of Mikey, and she had sliced a lot of the dummies' heads, but Mikey was the one who won due to being the fastest.

Finally, it was decided that Mei was allowed to be free of her restraints and go with Leo and his brothers on their nightly patrol. However, Raph was the only one who objected.

"What?! No way!"

"Raph, at least for one night!" Leo started to argue.

"Just think of all the damage she could do! She's a Foot Ninja, she was trained to kill!"

"Well, you got that part right," agreed Mei, not even denying that fact.

"What damage?" wondered Mikey, cooing at Mei. "She's adorable! A little kid like her can't possibly kill!"

"Actually, I've killed a few people back in the Foot Clan," replied Mei casually, causing everyone to stare at her. "What? It was orders."

"They order young kids to kill?" gasped Donnie. "Jeez, Shredder's more cruel than we thought."

"Hey, you guys shouldn't be surprised. I mean, Shredder's sent dozens of Foot soldiers just to hunt down four mutant turtles. You guys must have done some pretty nasty shit to piss him off."

"Hey, we don't use that sort of language here," scolded Leo.

"Tell that to him," said Mei, pointing to Raph.

"Hey, I don't swear as much as you, you damn brat!"

Leo sighed. "Great. Now, we've got two swearers in the family."

"Still, we can't just keep Mei imprisoned here for the rest of her life," said Donnie.

"But there's no tellin' if she'll betray us!" argued Raph.

"As long as you don't harm Ryo, I won't betray you," promised Mei.

The turtles looked at each other and Leo said, "Alright, you can come with us. But there are going to be conditions."

Mei shrugged. "Fine by me. What are they?"

"First off, you have stay close to us, and no wandering off by yourself. One of us will keep an eye on you at all times. No going on ahead or in the back, just in the middle."

"That's it?" questioned Mei, raising an eyebrow. "That's way too easy."

"Who knows? We might add some additional rules," said Raph, poking at her forehead.

"Additional?"

"Yeah! You're too dangerous! Who knows, you might attack anyone suspicious!"

"Oh, come on!" defended Mikey. "She might be a little quick on her toes, but she won't do that!"

Just then, Casey entered the lair through the elevator. "Hey guys! How's it goin'?"

Mei, who never met Casey, thought of him as some sort of intruder before rushing over and tackling him to the ground, growling. "Who are you?" she demanded.

"Casey!" cried out Raph. He ran towards Mei and picked her up by the arms, taking her away. "The hell you do that for?!"

"Wait, stop!" shouted Mikey. "Casey, are you alright?"

"Ow...I got pinned to the floor by a little girl. I'm dandy fine!" said Casey sarcastically, his pride hurt.

"Who the hell is this whack job?" Mei asked, turning to Leo and Donnie.

"His name happens to be Casey, my best bud!" growled Raph. "And how dare ya attack him!"

"Raph, she didn't even know who he was!" argued Leo, trying to break up the fight and making Raph let go of Mei. "Sorry about that, Casey. Mei's...new here."

"Oh wait! You're that little girl me and April took care of!" said Casey, bending down to Mei's level. "I'm sorry I scared you. I hope you can forgive me."

Mei got annoyed and said, "I don't even know you and you're asking me to forgive you? And I wasn't scared."

Casey stood up, surprised before turning to Raph. "Uh...Raph? Did you uh...do something to her? She's almost acting like you."

"No. Way. She was like that when she woke up! She's a Foot Ninja-"

"Former Foot ninja," corrected Mei.

"Shut it! And, she's still a Foot ninja!"

"What? This little kid? But she's harmless!" said Casey, who was about to ruffle Mei's head.

Mei grabbed his wrist tightly, causing him to flinch in pain. "Touch me, and you'll get more than just a beating."

"Hey, knock it off!" shouted Raph, grabbing her wrist and squeezing it tightly. Mei winched, but still kept a strong glare at him.

"Raph, stop! You're hurting her!" cried out Mikey, grabbing Mei by the waist and getting her away from Raph before putting her down. "There, there, mean ol' Raph won't hurt you again while I'm in watch!"

Casey turned to Raph and crossed his arms. "Are ya sure ya didn't teach her anything...?"

"No!"

"Look, let's just get going," said Leo, packing up his supplies.

"Are we seriously bringing her along? She's still a Foot Ninja! And she proved it by attackin' Casey! Why don't we just like-tie her up, and put her in a box, and ship her to...to a volcano!"

Mei just looked annoyed. "A volcano? Really?"

"Sometimes, people need a chance," said Leo, placing a hand on Raph's shoulder. "Let's just see how she does tonight."

"...Fine!" Then, Raph aggressively grabbed her wrist. "But she's stayin' close to me!"

"Hey! No touchie!" said Mikey, pulling Mei away from Mikey and shielding her. Donnie sighed, knowing that this 'conversation' is going to take awhile.

* * *

_Later that night... _

The five of them jumped past several buildings and were racing each other, and Mei was catching up to them. Like Raph said, Mei was forced to stay close to him, not that she cared of course. After a few hours, they found nothing.

"Man, it's boring up here! No Foot Clan or anything like that! You'd think they would have showed up by now!" complained Mikey. Then, some Foot Ninjas surrounded the five of them.

"You just had to open ya mouth, didn't ya, Mikey?" growled Raph as he, his brothers, and Mei got out their weapons.

"MN-058, surrender or die. Resistance is futile. If you choose to surrender, then there is a chance for you to defend yourself for Master Shredder," one of the Foot Ninjas offered. Instead, Mei charged towards him with her katana, forcing him to block with his own weapon.

"Attack!" yelled Leo, signaling the fight. He rushed towards two Foot Ninjas and leg sweeped both of them before bringing up his katanas to block two more weapons from two other ninjas who attacked him on opposite sides.

Raph pulled Mei by the back of her uniform collar and pulled him close to him. "Don't think I forgot about ya." With her by his side, Raph kicked a Foot Ninja in the stomach before twirling around to block a weapon with his sai before jabbing the end of his other sai to another ninja's stomach. Mei blocked swift attacks from other Foot Ninjas with her katana as Raph defeated the offenders.

Mikey and Donnie had a simple strategy. While Donnie defended with his bo staff, Mikey would take the offensive and strike in all directions with his nunchucks, acting goofy and ridiculous while having fun. In no time, they defeated their own pack of Foot Ninjas.

The Foot Ninjas knew they stood no chance and started retreating, but Mei grabbed a Foot Ninja and threw him to the ground before raising up her katana. "N-no! Please don't hurt me, please!"

Mei narrowed her eyes coldly and was about to bring it down when Donnie knocked the katana out of her hands, allowing the Foot Ninja to escape. Mei was surprised, and angrily said, "What was that for? I had him!"

"The fight was already over! We won! There was no need for neccessary blood!" said Donnie.

"You don't get it. You're too soft. The battle isn't over until the other side's dead. Then, they won't ever bother us again."

"That's not how we do things," said Leo calmly. "We don't kill."

"I was taught you needed to _destroy_ your enemies."

"That makes you like them."

"It makes me _better_ than them!" argued Mei. "If it hadn't been for this punk, that ninja would have-"

"If it hadn't been for Donnie, you would have gotten too far," interrupted Leo.

"I've already killed. I've already gone too far."

"There's no honor in killing someone unccessary," advised Leo.

"I told ya, Leo! We should have just left her in the sewers to die!" shouted Raph.

"Even if we did, we'd be no worse than the Foot Clan!" cried out Donnie. "And we'd be leaving behind an innocent baby too!"

"Leave Ryo out of this! This is between all of us right here!" said Mei. "You want to fight your enemies, but what do you do with the ones that keep coming back? I was going to do what you wouldn't, I was about to take them out myself! If you got a better idea trying to take out your enemies without killing them, please, I'm all ears!"

"...We stop Shredder, and the whole Foot Clan falls," answered Leo.

"...Well if you're going to stop him, I'd like to see the day when that arrives."

"Alright, but from now on, we're going to restrict a few rules on you."

"..I know."

Afterwards, everyone returned to the lair without a single word, unsure whether or not Mei could be a trusted ally, or a very dangerous one.

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**I'm finished, done, and out! Any good ideas would be good! Read and review!**


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